For the longest time, I fell victim to this flawed skincare notion. And because I, like everyone else in this world, crave smooth skin (I even have an excoriation disorder diagnosis to prove it), I’d turn to harsh chemical peels and microbead-infused scrubs that left my poor face stinging, red, and raw. The problem with my compulsive need for having untextured skin 24/7 is that my skin is also sensitive, and if you know anything about having sensitive skin, you know that it doesn’t play well with exfoliation....

We all know skincare isn’t cheap—especially eye cream. But what makes eye cream different from regular moisturizer and why are we doing our eyes a disservice if we use regular moisturizer as eye cream? What Is Eye Cream? It’s true that eye creams contain the same types of ingredients found in many face creams; however, they’re also meant to address hyper-specific skincare issues. Not only does the skin underneath your eyes require more targeted TLC (e....

To buy: $42; target.com As soon as summer hits and I’m out in the sun, my skin reacts almost instantly. My day trips to the beach cause some freckles to pop up across the bridge of my nose (which I love), but they also bring me hyperpigmentation in other areas of my face (which I don’t love). Thanks to my regular use of this Facial Radiance Niacinamide Dark Spot Serum, this year, my sun-induced hyperpigmentation has been significantly reduced compared to those previous summers I’ve gone without using the serum....

Let’s keep the year of fun Christmas activities going with today’s addition – this fun Christmas i-spy game! My sons love doing any sort of fun seek and find or i-spy game. Whether it’s actually playing i-spy where you have to guess what someone else is looking for or searching for things in one of these fun scavenger hunt ideas – my boys love it! This printable Christmas i-spy takes all of those things and puts them into one fun holiday game!...

I’ve never really been much of an artist, but I do like a good coloring page. And both of my boys really like to color – one inside the lines, one all over the page – so I always try to find fun coloring pages to print for them. Instead of looking for coloring pages from other people this year, I thought I’d finally share some of my own Halloween coloring pages!...

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase via these affiliate links, I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Leprechaun Games for St. Patrick’s Day My husband is part Irish, so we like to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in a big way at our house. Last year we threw a fun St. Patrick’s Day party and played these fun St. Patrick’s Day games with my family!...

I ordered two weeks’ worth of meals to see whether the subscription service would have a positive impact on my eating habits and daily routine. Not only did I judge each entree’s taste, but I also rated the meals on ease of preparation, quality of ingredients, overall price, and packaging, among other things. Scroll down for my detailed review of Green Chef. My overall rating for Green Chef: 7 out of 10 Pros:...

Scientific studies in the mid-1900s showed a link between high-fat diets and heart disease. Under the guidance of their doctors, many Americans began to move toward lower-fat diets—even people who weren’t at high risk for heart disease. As a result, by the late ’80s, the low-fat diet became almost an ideology, with devotees subsisting on fat-free yogurt, margarine, and carbohydrates. Since then, further research and study have shown that there’s a lot more nuance to the role that dietary fats play in our overall health....

We now know that a loofah isn’t only bad for your skin, but it could cause some rather scary-sounding infections as well. To find out why it’s not a good idea to shower with a loofah—and what you should be using instead—we talked to Gretchen W. Frieling, MD, a board-certified dermatopathologist in Boston. What Is a Loofah? A true all-natural loofah is a bath product made out of a dried tropical gourd....

So how do you make the switch when you punch out for the day? And what activities should you try to give yourself a break? The answers lie in neuroscience. We talked with experts to learn more about what stress and daily workloads do to the brain—and what you can do to give your mind the restorative break it needs. What happens to your brain when it’s stressed at work?...

The study followed two groups of adults, 55 and older, who suffered from a self-reported moderate amount of sleep disturbances. Half of participants were assigned at random to participate in a mindfulness meditation intervention. Those in the meditation group took a six-week class that focused on teaching them to track what they were feeling, both physically and mentally, from moment to moment. The other half of participants took a six-week sleep education program, which taught proper sleep hygiene....

Consider This Before spouting off different numbers, let’s think about this for a second. We all know you’re supposed to wash undergarments (underwear, socks, etc.) after every wear, but since pajamas are only worn indoors and usually when you’re clean (post-shower), it seems wasteful to wash them after every wear. And for city dwellers who don’t have a washer and dryer in-unit, washing pajamas every day is just plain impractical. On the flip side, we also have to consider how dirty pajamas get, even if you’re not going out....

But it doesn’t have to be that way. With a few simple strategies, your holidays can be super-festive and fun—but also be eco-conscious at the same time. “We need to be creative and find ways to make this holiday less wasteful,” says Lea d’Auriol, founder of Oceanic Global. “There are now sustainable alternatives to nearly every item you may typically buy during the holidays, so start swapping!” Reduce your gifting carbon footprint Get a gift they’re guaranteed to love Encourage kids (or adults) on your shopping list to create a very specific wish list, whether the old-form written variety or using an online registry like MyRegistry....

True Parmesan cheese is Parmigiano-Reggiano. This unpasteurized, cow’s milk cheese has been made for centuries. By law, Parmigiano-Reggiano can only be made in one sector of the Italian region Emilia-Romagna. Here, farmers and cheesemakers do things the way they have been done since at least the Renaissance. Wheels that can surpass 80 pounds slowly age on long shelves in warehouse-like rooms, with the cheesemakers flipping wheels for even aging. Each year, millions of wheels become ready for export....

Is Thread Count That Important? Yes and no. Thread count is often used as a barometer of the bed sheets’ smoothness and durability. However, this measurement—which should refer to the number of threads woven into a square inch of fabric—isn’t always reliable. High thread count is a factor, but the type of cotton can be more significant. What’s The Best-Quality Cotton? Cotton is the best material for bed sheets. Top of the line is 100 percent Egyptian cotton....

“Leave-in treatments, oils, heat protectants, and hairsprays are often left on the plates from the heat—almost as if you are baking the product residue onto the plates,” explains Nick Stenson, celebrity hair stylist and artistic director for L’Oréal-Matrix. “After time, they can also build up and you can visibly see the discoloration on the plates.” When you use a dirty flat iron or hair straightener, this icky residue can transfer onto your hair....